Union Party of Utah

The Union Party was a liberal-conservative political party in Utah that was active from 1870 to 1893. The Union Party stood in opposition to the Mormon People's Party and the Liberal Party of Utah, and it identified as a conservative party, although its views tended to be very liberal for the time. The Union Party's program emphasized the importance of acquiring US statehood, and it also supported a classical liberal economic and social program and a strong military. The Union Party was the only one of the three original Utahan parties to support a strong military, with the two other parties opposing high military spending. The party also advocated a completely deregulated economy, while the two other parties supported a state-run economy. The Union Party dissolved itself in 1893 as Utah moved towards statehood, with its members joining either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.